Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has urged Nigerians who have paid ransom to kidnappers or bandits to take the Federal Government to court and demand a refund, arguing that the state has failed in its constitutional duty to protect its citizens.
Falana made the call while speaking at the opening of the Legal Year of the Faculty of Law, University of Abuja, where he criticised what he described as the government’s “selective urgency” in responding to abductions.
According to him, while the state moves swiftly when high-ranking individuals are kidnapped, ordinary Nigerians are often abandoned to negotiate with criminals for their own safety.
He insisted that both the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the Nigerian Constitution impose a clear obligation on the government to safeguard every citizen, warning that the rising wave of kidnappings reflects a gross dereliction of duty.
“I have suggested that citizens who are abducted by bandits or kidnappers, and whose family members are compelled to pay ransom to rescue them, have the right to go to court and say the government must refund the ransom,” he said.
Falana argued that demanding refunds would not only enforce the rights of victims but also force the Nigerian government to take security responsibilities more seriously.
“It is the duty of the government to protect every life. If that life is threatened or taken, the government must pay for it,” he maintained.
Highlighting what he called a “class dimension” to kidnapping responses, the senior lawyer noted that high-profile victims often receive immediate rescue operations, while ordinary citizens are left vulnerable.
“If a judge, minister, or former minister is kidnapped, the government will order security forces to rescue them. But when it comes to ordinary Nigerians, you are at the mercy of the criminals,” he said, adding that all citizens are equal before the law and deserve equal protection.
His comments come amid new data showing the scale of kidnapping in Nigeria. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in its 2024 Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey, revealed that Nigerians paid a staggering N2.23 trillion in ransom between May 2023 and April 2024.
The report estimated kidnapping incidents at over 2.2 million during the period, with an average ransom payment of N2.7 million per incident, a trend security analysts warn is fueling a booming criminal industry.